It's the return of the creators of the acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones to the helm of another potential "mega hit".
After a very bad ending in Westeros - and a fierce fight with Amazon, which is said to have offered around a billion euros for the rights to the story - David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are teaming up with Alexander Woo for a much anticipated adaptation of the famous Chinese book series Remembrance of Earth's Past.
The new "problem" doesn't live on HBO like its older sister, but on Netflix, which only premieres "The 3 Body Problem" this Thursday - and there's already talk of a second season.
Aliens replace dragons
"3 Body Problem" (original title) is a whole new universe that comes to challenge our understanding of space-time with alien creatures in the mix.
Without giving away too many spoilers: technologically advanced aliens invade Earth, fleeing from an unstable solar system that has three suns orbiting each other - the "problem" that gives the series its title.
It all begins in 1967, when astrophysics student Ye Wenjie loses all faith in humanity and makes a scientific discovery that leads to the transmission of a high-powered radio signal into deep space: an action that would have fateful consequences.
The bestseller that inspired the series
"For 40 days in Beijing alone, more than 1,700 victims of sparring sessions were beaten to death. Many others chose an easier path to avoid madness."
This is how the original "Three Body Problem" begins, a science fiction bestseller by Liu Cixin which, despite the tight censorship of the Chinese regime, became a hit as an imaginary classic about alien contact and threat.
With its confusing time jumps and ethical dilemmas, it sold almost nine million copies worldwide, recalls the BBC.
In the book, a scientist and a detective lead the attempt to defeat the aliens, but the creators of the series felt that two main characters were not enough.
The (very different) return of a favorite
The new series features five young "anti-alien" Oxford scientists. One of them is a fan favorite.
John Bradley, who plays the beloved Sam in Game of Thrones, is a millionaire who has used his scientific knowledge to create a snack empire in The 3 Body Problem: an extremely different character, say the authors.
"The real John is nothing like Samwell, so we thought it would be fun to write a role that was closer to his real self," the creators told the BBC.
Liam Cunningham, who played the knight Sir Davos, and Sir Jonathan Pryce, who plays the religious fanatic High Sparrow, are also part of the new cast.
"A new challenge on every level"
The Three Body Problem is "the furthest you can get" from Game of Thrones, confesses Weiss: it was time to move on.
Game of Thrones was "the greatest experience of our lives", he confesses, noting, however, that the team wanted "a new challenge, at every level".
The gigantic fan base of the HBO series was not at all satisfied with the grand finale: almost two million fans signed a petition in 2019 demanding a remake of the final season, with a completely different script.
And if the series has set the bar too high for his expectations, even more so for a new project. "I hope it's as successful as Thrones," says Benioff.
